It seems that the American bulldog frog is driving our native species
into extinction. Sold by countless garden centres all over the country
our American immigrant is bigger, more powerful and has a voracious appetite
for all the food of the native variety. Our native bulldog frog doesn't
have a chance, so, the message goes, please don't buy the American one
for your pond.

It's a familiar story. Many people oo and ah over squirrels.
There are plenty around here and we often see them in our garden, including
eating the food on our bird table. The trouble is the only squirrels
you see now are the grey squirrel. The smaller and far prettier native
English red squirrel is almost extinct. Driven out by its more powerful
and grasping immigrant.

It's not that there is anything wrong with the American bulldog frog
or with the grey squirrel. They are highly successful species.
It's just that they are too successful. Too powerful and they drive
others away.

I think there are lessons here on this Pentecost Sunday. For today
we celebrate the gifts of God's Holy Spirit. The miserable disciples,
feeling frightened and alone had shut themselves away . Suddenly
there came from heaven the rush of a violent wind. And all of them
were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages.
Straightway they went out and started telling others the good news of God
and Peter gave a most famous sermon. They were filled with
enthusiasm and confidence on that first Pentecost. But we should
remember that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are many and various and not
all of them are noisy or strident. That's a mistake the charismatic
movement sometimes has made.. For the gifts of the spirit are also
gentleness and peace, self control, tolerance, wisdom.

It's very easy for the more strident gifts to make the gentler gifts
disappear. Its very easy for dominant individuals to ride roughshod
over the gifts of others and drive their gifts and sometimes them far away.
Sensitivity, living together in community, making allowances for one another's
gifts and talents - all these are important even if it means you can't
always have things your own way.

So, one question we should ask is "In exercising our gifts are we making
it harder for others to exercise theirs?" "Are we sensitive enough
to one another's gifts, encouraging the quieter as well as the noisier
gifts so that all can work together?"

There is another and rather different danger also highlighted by recent
news. It seems that in many international races the organisers try
to stop Kenyans from competing. It's nothing to do with racialism
as such or the fact that they are black. It to do with the fact that
they nearly always win. In Kenya there are few cars. Children
have to walk or more often run for miles to go to school. They do
not eat many fatty foods. They are fit and naturally trained from
childhood and used to high altitude. In short they are superb athletes.
And athletics organisers find that sponsors much prefer it if their own
nationals win. There are few if any Kenyan sponsors. So they
try and discourage Kenyans from entering because they are so good.

That also is surely wrong. Its nothing to do with unfair advantage
unlike the American bullfrog or the grey squirrel. But everything
to do with talents and effort. So also with the Holy Spirit.
We should not resent it when other people have particular gifts, including
highly successful ones. We shouldn't try to drive them out believing
in mediocrity. God has given all gifts to be used and he used the
gifts of the apostles spectacularly on that first Pentecost.

Two dangers then, both different, in some ways opposites. But
both reminding us that the Spirit blows where it wills but needs us to
facilitate it. For Pentecost is not imposed on human kind.
It is rather a most precious gift of God, given to us to enable us to live
up to our calling. As with any other gifts we can ignore or misuse
or spoil. Today we resolve to do none of these things, but accept
God's gift of the spirit with gratitude and remember that in his wisdom
he gives us all different gifts. We resolve to try to help each other
recognise and use our gifts whatever they may be. For God needs them
all for his kingdom to grow and we are all important. "It is that
very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that shows we are children
of God."